MTV logo. Photo credit: Nagi
- Shaped Generation X. Amanda Marcotte at Slate’s XX Factor blog reminded that MTV helped shaped the sensibilities of a generation: “MTV was not only my constant companion throughout my entire youth, but arguably it had the single biggest impact on the aesthetics and pop cultural attitudes of Generation X, the irony-loving generation.”
- Reality killed the video star. Writing at ABC News’ On the Record blog, Alan Raible lamented the sad decline: “It was a bastion of hip cultural significance. Now, whenever I turn on MTV, it makes me depressed. What does the M stand for these days? It surely isn’t music … Music has been replaced by horrible ‘Reality’ TV.” Raible expressed his sadness that MTV “had a place and it’s essentially removed itself from its own niche in a punishing quest to celebrate mediocrity.” Raible blamed the “corporations” who “don’t care about being edgy and bettering the culture.”
“MTV has become limp and useless. It has become one of the most insignificant channels on your cable box. It has lost its essence and lost its focus. It has lost everything that used to make it great,” slammed Raible.
- Last decade has been unremarkable. Amy Schriefer at NPR gave a luke-warm appreciation of the channel’s recent history. She sniped that “not much has been added to the narrative in the last decade.” Considering MTV’s decision to programme more retro content, Schriefer suggested that “maybe MTV is demonstrating that inevitable sign of aging: defining yourself by the best of your past.”
- The anniversary has sparked a flurry of best-of lists. Time took a look back at the three decade’s worth of music videos and profiled the 30 best all-time music videos, all of which can be watched here. David MacNamee at The Guardian’s Pulse blog chose his own top 30 MTV moments. He chose the Kanye West versus Taylor Swift VMA awards howler, “in which the world’s most powerful male pop star forever crowns himself King of the Douchebags,” as number one moment.
